Description

Market globalization and the globalization of environmental concerns have spurred demand for greater international accountability for forest stewardship. In response, a range of multi-lateral governmental and non-governmental initiatives have emerged to redefine the rules of global trade, and demand verification of the legality and/or sustainability of forest products originating from within and outside national boundaries.

At the same time there is a lack of transparency and shared understanding about the environmental forest policies that already exist within the world's leading forest producing and consuming countries. The result is that many stakeholders have developed perceptions about a country's regulatory environment that are not consistent with what is actually taking place. This book provides a uniquely detailed and systematic comparison of environmental forest policies and enforcement in twenty countries worldwide, covering developed, transition and developing economies. The goal is to enhance global policy learning and promote well-informed and precisely tuned policy solutions.

Reviews

"A deep, purposeful and incisive analysis. The authors skilfully untangle the socio-economic and political factors that contribute to the effectiveness of environmental policies that seek to regulate commercial timber harvesting. Both theoretically innovative and empirically rich, this is an indispensable volume for policymakers and students alike."- Dr David Humphreys, The Open University, UK.

"Protection and management of the world's forests is a critical environmental issue for a sustainable global future. This comparative analysis of forest governance around the world pertaining to forest utilisation is a major contribution to understanding what makes for good policy and regulatory frameworks and expands our understanding of the interaction of such frameworks with social and economic factors. This analysis is one important step to more effective implementation of policy and regulation on the road to sustainable forest management."- Dr Glen Kile FTSE, formerly Managing Director of Forest and Wood Products, Australia.

"This book develops sound theory on state and non-state forest governance and examines a broad cross-section of country case studies. The findings will provide a seminal reference for practical discussions of forest policies designed to protect the environment and for future research."- Frederick Cubbage, Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, USA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements. Part I: Setting the Scene. 1. Introduction. 2. Selection and Global Context of the Case Study Countries. Part II: Regional Analyses. 3. Canada and the United States. 4. Western Europe: Finland, Germany, Portugal and Sweden. 5. Asia: China, India, Indonesia and Japan. 6. Eastern Europe: Latvia, Poland and the Russian Federation. 7. Latin America: Brazil, Chile and Mexico. 8. Oceania: Australia and New Zealand. 9. Africa: The Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. Part III: Summary and Conclusions. 10. Summary of Findings. 11. Three Puzzles, a Conundrum, and a Question: Towards a Dynamic and Problem-Focused Policy Research Agenda. Index.

About the Authors

Constance McDermott is a James Martin Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests and the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University.

Benjamin Cashore is a Professor of Environmental Governance at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, USA.

Peter Kanowski is Professor of Forestry at the Australian National University, where he is also Deputy Director of the new Fenner School of Environment and Society.

About the Series

The Earthscan Forest Library

This series brings together a wide collection of volumes addressing diverse aspects of forests and forestry and draws on a range of disciplinary perspectives. Titles cover the full range of forest science and include the biology, ecology, biodiversity, restoration, management (including silviculture and timber production), geography and environment (including climate change), socio-economics, anthropology, policy, law and governance. The series aims to demonstrate the important role of forests in nature, peoples’ livelihoods and in contributing to broader sustainable development goals. It is aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, professionals, policy-makers and concerned members of civil society. Authors or editors of potential new titles should contact Tim Hardwick, Senior Commissioning Editor (tim.hardwick@tandf.co.uk).